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Slave IV

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  1. Slave IV
    Thanks! Seems like it's the Yamato version huh? Very nice!
  2. Slave IV
    Which 19 is that? It looks spectacular and I don't recall seeing it before.
  3. Slave IV
    Yeah, I'm basically implying they should do that and more...except not with the ridiculous price increase.
  4. Slave IV
    Not so sure how "stealth" that price increase is since it's about $100. Anyways, I support Arcadia by buying pretty much all their releases and am happy they are putting out Valks I missed out on. I just have no loyalty to any corporation and just let the market offer me what I want. If someone else beats them, I'm all for it. Competition is good for consumers, whether some think it's fair competition or not.
  5. Slave IV
    I never pay much attention to color comparisons online because there are too many factors involved...the color sensitivity of the camera used, the lighting, the white balance setting, the setting of the monitors everyone's using, the color reproduction capabilities of the monitors everyone is using, etc. Of course, all thing being equal and comparing two things under those same conditions may show some differences but in the end, it's what the thing looks like in real life in front of me that counts. I don't mind the Arcadia colors at all but I've never been particularly sensitive towards slight shade differences and I don't have any Yammies to compare. That being said, I appreciate seeing all the pics of different generations of Valks. I hear a lot about the white colors used and if the Arcadia valks have some sort of treatment to keep them from yellowing, that is good to me. I have a couple Arcadia Valks by my window but they are above so they never get direct sunlight. I haven't noticed any discoloration yet but they haven't been there too long. Will see how it goes.
  6. Slave IV
    Ah, ok a bit more reasonable. Haha, I keep thinking how you pull off these amazing trade deals? What scale is the XB-70? Now you got me thinking I need one. That is one of my favorite aircraft that I somehow never got a good model of.
  7. Slave IV
    Haha, nice! That it is. Always intrigued by that aircraft, its design and capabilities. You get all that in the trade?
  8. Slave IV
    Sweet XB-70!
  9. Slave IV

    Bandai DX VF-31

    Slave IV replied to UN Spacy's topic in Toys

    Yep! F360 and others helped me get through the woes of PayPal conversion fees. In the end, I opened a new PayPal account linked to a credit card that doesn't charge foreign transaction fees just to buy toys from Japan with. Make sure the card is Visa or MasterCard because even though Discover doesn't have foreign transaction fees, it won't give you the option shown above. I don't think AmEx works either. There is also a way to setup autopay through PayPal but I don't recommend it because they have recently had "glitches" where it switches back to their conversion rate without warning and they play dumb with no solution other than for you to cancel the order...and we all know that doesn't happen when we just stayed up to the break of dawn to secure a preorder during a 2 second window.
  10. Slave IV
    Yeah, I love building model kits but just don't have the time to put into them anymore. I have a closet full of Bandai Star Wars figures I still need to build. Awesome haul!
  11. Slave IV
    Those look great! I'd love a fan racer.
  12. Slave IV
    Good conversation! I enjoyed it and I'm pretty much done for now. I'll just reiterate one last time that I think our entire for profit model we are all slaves to is unscrupulous so if people want to argue what is more imoral than another, go for it but it's all the same to me. Some people will go out of their way to make their business as consciously moral as possible and I commend them but we are all feeding the same monster in the end.
  13. Slave IV
    Exactly! Business is about money and the rest is just smoke. That's why I think it's funny when people bring up fair, theft and other things. No business gives a crap about anything other than getting the cheapest labor they can when they outsource manufacturing to other countries (which is what Arcadia does). If you go to a country that doesn't care about your IP, it's all fair game to me. The only Ko/bootleg experience I have is with Transformers and those are typically 50% less and comparable or better than the officials. These KO VF1s should be out soon so will see how it goes.
  14. Slave IV
    I can guarantee you companies don't go to China and then move to other countries like Vietnam because they want to help the people there. They go for the sole purpose of getting what they want for the lowest prices possible. Anyways, this is starting to go in circles so I'm not going to keep repeating All I know is I've never bought an unofficial Macross product, I work in a creative industry and take pride in my work but I never knock someone else's hustle. Others try to copy the work I do all the time and I don't care because I still do it better. If someone else can do it better, I'll give them my business, lol. If someone gives me good reason to buy an unofficial product by making a superior product for less, I'm in. Any other logic to me is just a self centered cop out.
  15. Slave IV
    I think both are highly likely. When you go to another country for the sole purpose of exploiting the people there with low wages and other inhumane practices, it gives them a hell of an incentive to come up and do it in a way that shoves it back in your face. Modern technology makes it easier for them to do so.
  16. Slave IV
    I suspect most KOs of high end toys like this to be inside jobs in the sense that they are either produced by people who have access to the official factory or they could be produced in the same factories by the same people. Especially with a design that's been around for this long, I doubt it would be very hard at all. As for quality, it is yet to be seen but it seems as the people behind KOs are a new generation who grew up around the same time as all of us fans and could be fans of the product themselves. These people seem to understand what the market is looking for and quality is something that is more and more prevalent in Ko products. They are able to analyze the market and deliver quickly, making them very successful. Depending on their level of success, it could lead to them surpassing the official company and eventually doing their own R&D to develop new, original (although unofficial) products.
  17. Slave IV
    There are two main successful business types. One is to make the cheapest (usually lowest quality) products possible and sell in large quantities for as much as possible. The other is to make the highest quality products that warrant the premiums you sell them for. IMO, the first style of companies are the bane of existence because they mostly make garbage and create markets using marketing. They create false demand by putting all their resources into marketing smoke. Arcadia is part of the latter group and in order to stay successful, they need to maintain and further push in that direction. Basically they need to make the best products that are undeniable and therefore, people will continue to buy. Some high end car companies started to make even more premium versions of their already top of the line cars but only after years of constant improvement in their regular products to prove they are top of the line. Arcadia is trying to do the same with their premium line but IMO, could backfire because their so called premium line is something that was done long before and much better so they are just diluting themselves. What they call premium is what people expect they should do normally. @Arcadia, my advise to you is to make the very best products you can, especially when we are talking about an old design you've been milking for 10 years. It's disgraceful to come to this day and call a few tampos that you should have included from the start, "premium". Every VF-1 you put out should be decked out with tampos, details, accessories, features, etc. that put the old Yamato versions to shame. Each release should make owners of the old versions chomp at the bits to get the new one because it's so much better. Instead, you have people who already own the old versions contemplate why they would want to spend twice as much and get something they don't even consider as good as what they already got years ago and in many cases, completely pass on the new one. You are making products that are too easy and practically begging people to copy and beat you at your own game with. Make something truly outstanding and people will be too eager and busy trying to secure a preorder to pay attention to a copy of an inferior version of something made 10 years ago.
  18. Slave IV
    Yeah, it's nice and looks good for sure! Part of my regret was I waited until well after it was released to get it and didn't want to pay much for it. I got it on sale for slightly less but then about a week later, it went on deeper clearance for a lot less than I got it for so just annoying that I should have waited a bit longer. The figure itself doesn't disappoint in doing what it's meant to do...look good in the one pose so you should be happy.
  19. Slave IV
    Same here! I bought it a few months ago but it's my first anime statue (I think) and probably my last. it's nice but I figure I'd rather have action figures with unlimited poses.
  20. Slave IV
    Nice! I just got some Monsterarts baddie reinforcements for Godzilla to beat down too. Gotta find the time to open them...
  21. Slave IV
    Do it if you have the skills! Like I said, I'm not happy with any seeker I've seen yet and haven't bought any because of it...Won't even pay for the KOs. Maketoys seems to have done an incredible job on their bot but just like their Jazz, they have some strange kibble in alt mode that ruins it.
  22. Slave IV
    Oversize KO MP3? Looks good! Im looking forward to see if Maktoys Seeker is worth getting. So far, I haven't seen a Seeker design worth buying but hoping that is it. Bot mode looks good but the flaps under the thrusters in jet mode are killing me.
  23. Slave IV
    Lovely collection of 1/60s!
  24. Slave IV
    Thanks!
  25. Slave IV
    I've seen a layoff talk and pictures about those lately. Seems like a game and set of vehicles made for me! Especially considering how big and expensive the Chogokin SW vehicles will likely be. I should grab some but sure it's a deep rabbit hole one I start.
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